Tests software across functional, regression and acceptance dimensions to protect release quality.
Entry
Junior
Coding
Low
Key skills
Common progression
- Manual Tester
- QA Tester
- QA Engineer
Career overview
The QA Tester owns the quality of a feature or product area: functional testing, regression, acceptance, exploratory sessions and clear defect reports. They collaborate with developers and product to clarify requirements and prevent bugs rather than just find them. The role leads to QA Engineer, Software Test Engineer or Automation Test Engineer positions.
Main responsibilities
- Define test strategy and plans
- Execute manual and automated tests
- Report, track and verify defects
- Keep technical documentation up to date
- Prepare and execute change requests in production
- Analyse application logs to identify root causes
- Escalate complex cases to the relevant technical team
- Mentor junior team members and review their work
- Respect SLA response and resolution targets
- Automate recurring tasks with scripts
Technical skills
Technologies
Education level
Education requirements vary depending on the company, country and experience. Professional experience, certifications and technical skills can sometimes compensate for formal education.
High School / Bac
Less common
Bac+2 (2-year degree)
Common entry point
Bac+3 (Bachelor)
Common entry point
Bac+5 (Master / Engineering)
Common entry point
Experience & coding level
Experience level
Coding level
Useful certifications
Certifications are never mandatory. They are one way among others to prove a skill.
- ISTQB Foundation Level
- ISTQB Agile Tester
- Certified Associate in Software Testing
Where can this career take you?
Multiple paths are possible. Click a role to open its profile.
Direct progression
Possible branches
Where can you go next?
Realistic next career moves, with compatibility and a transition roadmap for each.
Overlap: 60% · Difficulty: Easy
Skills to learn: Automation frameworks, Programming (Python/Java/JS), CI/CD integration
View roadmapOverlap: 34% · Difficulty: Medium
Skills to learn: Programming (Java/Python/JS), UI automation (Selenium/Cypress), API automation
View roadmapOverlap: 12% · Difficulty: Medium
Skills to learn: Load modelling, JMeter / Gatling / k6, Bottleneck analysis
View roadmapOverlap: 26% · Difficulty: Medium
Skills to learn: Appium / Espresso / XCUITest, Device farms, Network simulation
View roadmapOverlap: 13% · Difficulty: Hard
Skills to learn: OWASP Top 10, Security scanning (SAST/DAST), Threat modelling
View roadmapWhere can you go from here?
A typical progression built from real career relationships. Click any role to open its profile.
- Manual Tester
- QA Tester
- QA Engineer
Soft skills
- Attention to detail
- Rigour and attention to detail
- Clear communication
- Problem solving
- Teamwork
- Technical curiosity
Common previous careers
Roles that frequently lead into this career.
Related resources
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QA TesterManual Tester
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